by Kris Handel
MJ Lenderman’s solo work carries a heavier, slower pace, and slightly more solemn weight than the work of Wednesday, with a feel closer to some of the twangier projects of Jason Molina and Simon Joyner, with a little Neil Young (amongst many other influences) thrown in along the way. On his third full length release Boat Songs, Lenderman shows off a strong wit, mixing in pop culture references to his songs, adding a strength and tenderness when called for. This record has a ramshackle and loose feel to it that is warm and welcoming with a bunch of enchanting twists, revealing a bountiful of pleasures within each song. Although recorded mostly by Lenderman and Colin Miller, some of his Wednesday cohorts lend a helping hand on an album that treads its own unique path, filled with an extreme creativity that is unexpected as well as welcomed.
“You Have Bought Yourself A Boat” starts off with funky guitar and keyboard reminiscent of On the Beach era-Young mixed with Eels skewed pop, but in Lenderman’s own songcraft, as his pinched vocals pierce through. There is quite a groove going on here, entrancing and oddly delicate which is pronounced in his somewhat tender and withdrawn vocals, lifting the already wonderful melodies to a different level. “Under Control” continues with the same feel driven by Miller’s keyboards and a steady drumbeat as Lenderman’s double tracked vocals creak along over country-influenced guitar lines. His voice once again expresses a sense of resignation and slight despair, no matter the pleas of contrariness undermining the hopeful declaration of the title.
One of the most engagingly lovely songs on the record is “TLC Cage Match” which has Lenderman’s extra reflective and heartfelt exhortations pushed on by pedal steel from Xandy Chelmis and wonderfully enmeshed backing vocals from Karly Hartmann. Lenderman’s vocals are at their most impactful here as his quivering voice delivers couplets like “I always believed/every time you said/we were gonna be like our heroes someday/well, baby/All our heroes now are dead/cuz all things go/that’s why we do what we gotta do/to get through...” amongst other memorable lines. “You Are Every Girl to Me” has a bit of a Sonic Youth Daydream Nation influence to it as guitars wriggle around each other and the vocals are enhanced with a good deal of reverb. Chelmis’ pedal steel adds colorful and distorted swirls between a galloping rhythm and Lenderman unleashes torrents of guitar waterfalls in fits and starts.
Boat Songs is a record of emotional declarations and searching that entwines a playfulness and a winking lo-fi charm providing a lightness that does an excellent job of cutting the heavier elements at play here. Lenderman has refined his songwriting without losing any of the looseness that were hallmarks of his previous records. There is still a bit of a jam-session feel but one with a little more focus and sharpened energy. This album shows a great amount of skill and care in all its elements and mixes the lighter edges seamlessly into a record that carries a lot of ache and reflection. Lenderman has managed to compile a collection of songs that send the listener on a journey that is exciting, full of wit, and endless creativity that’s truly a joyful experience.